We have a bit of sad news to bring you, regarding some of the origins of our favorite transforming toys. Henry Orenstein passed away on Tuesday. While not a household name amongst Transformers fans, he is responsible for bringing the Diaclone and Microman toylines from Takara to Hasbro's attention. .
Henryk Orenstein was born on October 13, 1923 to Jewish parents in Hrubieszów, Poland. During World War II he and his family hid from Nazis until the threat of starvation forced them out of hiding and into concentration camps. While he and three of his brothers survived by passing themselves off as scientists, his parents and other siblings died in the Holocaust.
After the war, he emigrated to America and became an entrepreneur, though his main focus was toys. In 1983, he convinced Takara that they could rebrand their toys and sell them in the USA. Following this, he sold the then CEO of Hasbro on his idea, and the following year, Transformers was born! Already an inventor and toymaker for decades previous, his involvement with Transformers would end only a year later with the introduction of the original rubsign, which he shared a patent for. After his involvement with the toy industry ended, he made another name for himself in the world of poker, inventing a camera that would show viewers at home what hand a player had, which made televised poker very popular. He was even inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame later in life. A noted philanthropist, particularly to Holocaust survivors, Mr. Orenstein's cause of death hasn't been given. He was 98 years old, and is survived by his wife, Susie.
Rest in Peace.
